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Walking the flax fields of Lathuy

Lathuy walk

A most pleasant circular 11 km country walk around the village of Lathuy in Brabant Wallon: one to bookmark if you want to see the blue fields of flax in June.

A month ago I posted on the blue fields of flax in Brabant Wallon. This weekend I walked around another area in this Wallonian province, starting in the tiny village of Lathuy, just outside Jodoigne. As I had previously mentioned, the flowering season of flax is very short – a matter of a couple of weeks in June – so there were no fields of blue. Instead the flax had turned to a gorgeous rich gold. But if you want to see the blue flax fields, it’s well worth remembering this walk and returning in June.

Walking around Lathuy
Walking around Lathuy

Some farmers had moved to the next step: harvesting, after which the flax stalks are laid in the sun to dry:

Walking around Lathuy

I started my walk in the centre of Lathuy at the junction of Rue du Village and Rue du Baty, where there is a map of the walk.

Walk Lathuy
Start walking up Rue du Baty to the left of this signboard

The walk is called the Route de Beaulieu and is well marked with red diamonds and occasional signposts.

Lathuy walk
Wandeling Lathuy

The first thing you will probably notice is the light-coloured stone that many of the houses are constructed with.

Lathuy houses

It is called Gobertange Steen, from the village nearby where it was originally quarried in the 18th century. Many of the houses use an attractive combination of the Gobertange Steen and brickwork.

Gobertange Steen

This is also seen in the Chapel of Saint Genevieve.

Chapel of Saint Genevieve
Chapel of Saint Genevieve
The chapel dates from 1769

This slightly undulating and circular walk takes you through deserted, peaceful fields.

A walk in Lathuy Belgium

You will pass by some huge ancient farms.

The 18th century Nouvelle Cricourt farm
The 18th century Nouvelle Cricourt farm
The barn of the Gailbiez Farm
The barn of the Gailbiez Farm is even older, dating back to 1620
The Pastur Farm Lathuy
The Pastur Farm is more modern; built in the 19th century

Another imposing building is this one (the one on the left!)

Lathuy walks

Looking slightly like a church – at least the steeple on top of it does – it is in fact a water tower.

This scenic and peaceful walk is highly recommended, and on a lovely summer’s day the cloud formations were just as attractive as the scenery beneath them.

Walk in Lathuy Belgium
Lathuy Belgium

Here is the map of the route. Click to enlarge. Download as a PDF. Get the GPX track for your GPS device from my RouteYou page. As I mentioned earlier, it starts from the junction between Rue du Village and Rue du Baty in Lathuy. Nearest bus stop is Lathuy Village.

I hope you enjoy your walk around Lathuy. It’s worth doing at any time of the year, but it’s certainly worth remembering it in June if you want to see the blue flax fields. Any questions and just drop me a line. Subscribe by adding your email below. And please consider to support Discovering Belgium if you find it useful and helpful. Thanks. Denzil

15 thoughts on “Walking the flax fields of Lathuy”

  1. Marie Mathieu Mockalis

    you have beautiful pictures of Belgium. My Mathieu family comes from Belgium.
    I do not know how to find them. All I know is that they came on the border of
    France and Belgium. Also my granfather jules mathieu was in coal mining.

    1. Thanks Marie for your comment. I also would not know how to find your ancestors! It would be helpful to know of the town or village that Jules Mathieu came from, as the Belgium/France border is very long, and coal-mining took place in a number of areas.

      1. Marie Mathieu Mockalis

        Thanks for a quick reply. Unfortunately I have no idea what town or village they came from.
        I’ve noticed that there is Rue Mathieu in a few towns. Should i just get a hold of Begium Archives
        for more imfo.

      2. You can check the site http://www.familienaam.be to find the distrubution of your last name over Belgium. Unfortunately for you, Mathieu is a quite popular name, referring to the evangelist Matthew. That’s probably also why there’s a lot of “Rue Mathieu”.

  2. Pingback: Nodebais - Hamme-Mille - Tourinnes-La-Grosse | Discovering Belgium

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